THREADS of PASSION by T.K. Conklin – Western, Romance, Historical Fiction

Who is trying to kill Logan McCord?

The frontier town of Rimrock, deep in Wyoming Territory, is a usually a quiet little place, at least it has been for the past two years since Willow and Skye Strykes settled there to be close to their brother. The sisters stay busy with their successful dress shop, the occasional town dance breaking the monotony, but when Willow’s would-be suitor nearly hangs for a murder he didn’t commit, their lives are altered forever.

In a desperate bid to save the man she doesn’t even realize she loves, Willow does a crazy thing that ends with the two in a forced marriage, but the young couple’s problems don’t end at the wedding alter. Willow and Skye have their own secret, the secret which compelled them to run from New Orleans in the first place. Before long, Skye and Willow realize their secret has caught up with them, and they must find a way to escape it again before it consumes the entire town.

The Southern-transplanted sisters, Willow and Skye, are far from the typical romance novel heroines. Both women carry their own scars, Willow on the outside, Skye on the inside. Willow’s limp, the product of severe child abuse, isn’t a focus in the novel but is a definite reflection of the kind of protagonist Willow is. Her strength despite her weakness carries both herself and her sister for a time, and though Skye seems weak and damaged beyond repair, she manages to find a tenacity she never knew she had. Her ordeal is terrifying and devastating, but her love for Willow proves stronger than her memories and the pull of her suicidal thoughts. She must literally face her demons, and with her sister, she manages to do exactly that. Though initially, the number of familial relationships described are daunting, the connection between siblings, both with the women and the men, prove to be a major theme in the novel.

Logan, the barroom brawler, on the surface appears to be the typical romance hero. But he is more than tall, dark, and handsome. Both Logan and Rafe, his cousin who loves Skye, are gentle and loving. These men help the sisters find the courage to not only share their story but to challenge it head-on. The withholding of physical relationships by these characters creates a strong sexual tension which greatly enhances the plot, and for all those readers who love a touch of the paranormal, Logan’s family will add that, too.

With threats on all sides and action galore, the mystery will keep you guessing. The almost dual storylines give readers two loves stories for the price of one, and with the potential for a series, more great adventures are likely to come for the McCords and the Strykes.

Threads of Passion won First Place in the 2017 LARAMIE Awards for T.K. Conklin!